THE COST OF A COCONUT ESTATE 61 







Brought forward ... ... 565 



Tools for six years : Spades, hoes, axes, etc 90 



Fifty labourers and their living for three years ... 250 



Fifty additional labourers ... ... ... ... 250 



Wages, 100 labourers at 6s. per month 1,080 



Seed nuts 75 



Manager's house, coolie lines, other buildings 500 



Wages, one assistant free station and 10 per month 720 



Salary and living for the manager 900 



Total 4,430 



The above works out at less than 3 per 

 acre, and an average nett return of 10 per 

 acre is considered to be a very conservative 

 estimate. 



For purposes of further comparison we give the 

 following summary of the cost of opening up 2,000 

 acres in West Africa, where the land does not re- 

 quire so much spent on clearing as in Ceylon 

 or the Malay States, while rents are somewhat 

 lower. 



Two thousand acres are quoted as a standard, 

 for upon an estate of this area sufficient produce can 

 be grown to justify a complete organisation, 

 including an oil mill and plant for making 

 fibre. 



The trees begin to bear in from four to six years, 

 and produce about 10 nuts per tree the first year 

 of bearing. In the seventh year they produce upon 



